Awards & Honors
A distinguished career spanning research excellence, community engagement, creative achievement, and transformative leadership.
15
Research Awards
2
Creative Awards
4
Leadership Honors
5
Service Awards
Featured Honors
Anthem Award - Silver
Anthem Awards
Recognized for the documentary What's Left Behind? which explores the effects of gun violence on Black communities in Chicago.
Learn moreKathryn Lee Baynes Dallenbach Professorship
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Endowed professorship recognizing exceptional contributions to research and teaching in sociology and African American studies.
Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Awarded for outstanding community engagement and public scholarship that bridges academic research with community needs.
Fellow, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
NCSA, University of Illinois
Fellowship recognizing innovative use of supercomputing resources for social science research on health disparities.
Anthem Award - Silver
Anthem Awards
Recognized for the documentary What's Left Behind? which explores the effects of gun violence on Black communities in Chicago.
Learn moreAlumni Op-ed Project's Public Voices Fellowship
The Op-Ed Project
Alumni fellowship from the Op-ed Project's Public Voices program.
Urbana, IL Poet Laureate
City of Urbana, Illinois
Named Poet Laureate for the City of Urbana, Illinois in 2024, recognizing Dr. Mendenhall's poetry and creative writing.
Kathryn Lee Baynes Dallenbach Professorship
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Endowed professorship recognizing exceptional contributions to research and teaching in sociology and African American studies.
Career Achievement Award
Program for Research on Black Americans, University of Michigan
Career Achievement Award from the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, recognizing Dr. Mendenhall's distinguished career in research on Black communities.
Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Awarded for outstanding community engagement and public scholarship that bridges academic research with community needs.
Pearls of Wisdom Award
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority – Champaign-Urbana Graduate Chapter
Pearls of Wisdom Award from Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Champaign-Urbana Graduate Chapter, Incorporated.
LAS Dean's Distinguished Professorial Scholar
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, UIUC
Given by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences to faculty that have shown exemplary scholarship and teaching amongst those being promoted to the rank of Professor.
Pearl Birnbaum Hurwitz Humanism in Healthcare Award
Arnold P. Gold Foundation
Awarded for exemplary leadership in pursuing equitable healthcare in innovative ways. The Gold Foundation recognized Dr. Mendenhall's work democratizing health innovation.
Op-ed Project's Public Voices Fellowship
The Op-Ed Project
Selected for the Op-ed Project's Public Voices Fellowship, amplifying scholarly voices in public discourse.
Fellow, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
NCSA, University of Illinois
Fellowship recognizing innovative use of supercomputing resources for social science research on health disparities.
John Lee Johnson Excellence in Community Engagement and Activism Award
African American Studies, UIUC
Third time receiving this award recognizing excellence in community engagement and activism.
Best Workforce Diversity and Evaluation Paper
PEARC17 Conference (Practice & Experience in Advanced Research Computing)
Best paper award for 'Advanced Computing for Social Change - Educating and Engaging Our Students to Compete in a Changing Workforce' at the PEARC17 conference.
Black Metropolis Research Consortium Summer Fellowship
Black Metropolis Research Consortium
Fellowship for research on 'The Role of Architecture and Urban Planning in the Connection between Race, Space and Health in African American Communities in Chicago.'
Arnold O. Beckman Research Award
University of Illinois
Prestigious research award supporting innovative interdisciplinary research on Black women's health and resilience.
HPC Innovation Excellence Award
High Performance Computing Community
Recognizes noteworthy achievements by users of high performance computing technologies for the Rescuing Lost History project.
XSEDE Award for Rescuing Lost History
Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment
Acknowledging computing accomplishments for the Rescuing Lost History: Using Big Data to Recover Black Women's Lived Experiences Project.
Study in a Second Discipline (Genomic Biology)
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UIUC
Selected to study in a second discipline — Genomic Biology — reflecting Dr. Mendenhall's transdisciplinary approach.
Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award
Department of Sociology, UIUC
Recognition for outstanding mentorship and teaching of graduate students in sociology.
Richard and Margaret Romano Professorial Scholar
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UIUC
Outstanding achievements in research and leadership on campus. Held 2014-2017.
Faculty Mentorship Excellence Award
Trio Ronald McNair Scholars, UIUC
Faculty Mentorship Excellence Award from the Trio Ronald McNair Scholars Summer Research Institute.
Faculty Fellow, NCSA/IACAT
National Center for Supercomputing Applications, UIUC
Faculty Fellowship for 'Visualizing Topic Models about African American Women's Everyday Experiences and Standpoints.'
Self Sufficiency Research Clearing House Emerging Scholar
Self Sufficiency Research Clearing House
Named an Emerging Scholar by the Self Sufficiency Research Clearing House (SSRC).
Ebony Excellence Award for Outstanding Contributions to Research
Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, UIUC
Ebony Excellence Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Research.
John Lee Johnson Excellence in Community Engagement Award
African American Studies, UIUC
Second time receiving this award for excellence in community engagement and activism.
A. Wade Smith Award for Teaching, Mentorship, and Service
Association of Black Sociologists
National award recognizing excellence in teaching, mentorship, and service from the Association of Black Sociologists.
John Lee Johnson Excellence in Community Engagement Award
African American Studies, UIUC
First time receiving this award for excellence in community engagement and activism.
Faculty Fellow, Center for Advanced Studies
Center for Advanced Studies, UIUC
Faculty Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
Ford Foundation
National fellowship supporting postdoctoral research on housing policy and its effects on African American families.
American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship
American Sociological Association
Fellowship supporting doctoral research on social determinants of health in African American communities.
Recognition Rooted in Community
These awards and honors reflect not just individual achievement, but the collective work of communities, collaborators, students, and research participants who have contributed to this journey. Dr. Mendenhall's recognition is a testament to the power of community-engaged scholarship and the importance of centering the voices and experiences of those most affected by health disparities.